Faculty of Design

Environmental Design - Interior Design Specialization

Connie Yan

Breathing

Due to the result of rapid development of urbanization in China, a movement of "urban surrounding of the villages" took place during the 1980s, especially in Guangdong province. Villages within the city refer to a type of informal settlement that has emerged in cities. Over time, the high-density spatial layout has created an unhealthy environment with insufficient daylight, dense and small rooms, and weak air circulation. The site is one of the urban villages in Guangzhou, China. The thesis focuses on the issues and influences of residents' living environments in a dense urban village context. Keeping the current number of people in this apartment, following a human-centred design, rebuild the rental apartment by renovating and dealing with spatial planning, finishings, ventilation and daylighting. Provide different possibilities for different situations. Aim to enhance the quality of living space to create a sense of livability. Try to explore some new living models to increase the interdependence and interaction of human and human, human and built space environment, for letting people breathe in the dense environments.The building's main concept centers around the idea of "two cuts." The first cut focuses on the existing building’s room 6, which has two windows facing the west side and is located very close to the next building, so all room 6 are difficult to rent out. This area will be removed create to a visual release for residents, and painted white to reflect as much daylight as possible. The second one is a horizontal cut made on the seventh floor to respond to the current building regulations of the urban village, which limit building heights to six storeys. As the building on the south side has six storeys, this cut in the middle floor allows for better ventilation in the dense environment.The brick (lower part) and metal cladding (upper part) on the facade create a contrast between old and new language, presenting a mix of heavy and light elements in this context. The void space in the middle of the building serves to separate these contrasting elements and create a sense of balance and harmony in the overall visual composition. Although the dense surrounding environment can feel oppressive, the metal cladding on the upper part of the facade is able to create a feeling of lightness that helps to relieve this heaviness. Meanwhile, it provides residents with a diverse and rich spatial experience.